Israel-Gaza war live: Israeli military says it is ‘approaching decision’ on offensive along Lebanon border | Israel-Gaza war

There is breaking news that small arms fire has been reported at the US Embassy in Beirut. A suspect was taken to hospital after forces opened fire. There are no reports of any casualties among the embassy staff.

More details coming soon…

Hi, welcome to our latest live blog on Israel-Gaza war and the wider crisis in the Middle East. I’m Martin Bellam and I’ll be with you for a while.

Israel says she is ready to advance along the northern border with Lebanon and is close to a decision, the chief of staff said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

This is like Hezbollah the movement has said it does not seek to expand the conflict, but is ready to fight any war forced upon it.

Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Army Hertsi Halevi said in a recorded statement:

We are prepared after a very good training process up to the level of the General Staff exercise to go on the offensive in the north,” he said in a recorded statement…We are approaching a decision point.

Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem told Al Jazeera broadcaster that the group’s decision was not to expand the war, but that it would wage one if forced upon it. Kasem said Lebanon the front would not stop until Gaza the war stops, Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.

IDF says it struck a chord two Hezbollah launchers in southern Lebanon overnight, as well as hitting three military structures.

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israelwhich runs parallel to the war in Gaza, has intensified in recent days, adding to fears that an even wider confrontation could erupt between the heavily armed countries.

Meanwhile, the American president Joe Biden appears on moderate your criticism of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuafter he said he had “every reason” to make the conclusion that Netanyahu prolongs the war in Gaza for its own political self-preservation. Biden make the remarks in interview for Time magazine posted Tuesday morning. Later on Tuesday, Biden was asked whether Netanyahu “played politics with the war” and Biden said, “I don’t think so. He is trying to solve a serious problem he has.

More on that in a bit, but first, a summary of the latest developments:

• The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing increasing pressure domestically and internationally to support a new cease-fire plan for Gazaa move he resists he fears it will bring down his government.

• The Israeli prime minister said that Biden, in advancing a plan to end the war in Gazahad only published some of the details. “The war will be stopped in order to return the hostages and then we will continue with other discussions,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying by David Menser, an Israeli government spokesman.

• The Rafah border crossing, which is critical for the delivery of aid to Gaza from Egypt, cannot function again unless Israel relinquishes control and returns it to the Palestinians on the Gaza side, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said.. “It is difficult for the Rafah border crossing to continue functioning without a Palestinian Authority,” he said at a news conference with his Spanish counterpart in Madrid.

• About 55% of all structures in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, damaged or likely to be damaged since the war broke out in October, according to a preliminary UN satellite analysis. The analysis showed more than 137,000 buildings were affected, according to Unosat, the UN’s satellite analysis agency.

• Some people in Gaza are already forced to drink sewage and eat animal feed, the WHO’s regional chief said on Tuesday, calling for greater aid access immediately to the besieged territory. Hanan Balki, the World Health Organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, also warned that the war between Israel and Hamas had an indirect impact on health care throughout the region. The child health expert spoke to Agence France-Presse in an interview at WHO headquarters in Geneva. Inside Gaza, “there are people now eating animal food, eating grass, drinking sewage,” she said. The children barely manage to eat while the trucks are parked outside Rafa.

• French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority must “ensure the governance” of the Gaza Strip, the president’s office said. In telephone conversations, Macron supported the proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza and an agreement for the release of hostages presented by US President Joe Biden, reports Agence France-Presse. “This deal should reopen a credible prospect for the implementation of a two-state solution, the only one that can provide Israel with the necessary security guarantees and meet the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians,” he said.

• Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday after its parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move, the Associated Press reports. “Dear people of Palestine, today’s final decision by Slovenia is a message of hope and peace,” Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said on the social media platform X. “We believe that only a two-state solution can lead to lasting peace in the Middle East . Slovenia will continue to work tirelessly for the security of both nations, the Palestinians and the Israelis. Slovenia’s decision came days after Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a Palestinian state, a move that was condemned by Israel.

• A group of UN experts has called on all countries to recognize a Palestinian state to ensure peace in the Middle East. Experts, including the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, said the recognition of a Palestinian state is an important recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people and their struggle for freedom and independence.

• The US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to advance a largely symbolic bill calling for International Criminal Court sanctions after his prosecutor sought an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.